Valve controlled muffler with a plurality of through passages



Jan. 13, 1953 VALVE CONTROLLED MUFFLER WITH A PLURALITY OF THROUGH PASSAGES Filed May 10. 1950 Patented Jan. 13, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Perry B. Fina, New York, N. Y.

Application May 10, 1950, Serial No. 161,169

3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to muflier structures for connection with internal combustion engines of automotive vehicles.

It is an object of the present invention to provide means affording a very practical and economical mufiier construction which is valveoperated so as to either effect direct exhaust of the gases or to lead such gases through mufliing material in a silencing chamber.

It is another object of the invention to provide means ensuring ready and easy installation and accommodation of the mufiler structure under a car and like vehicle without affecting the required ground clearance of the chassis of the car.

It is a further object of the invention to provide means conducive to an efiicient and improved muffler structure, which can be used in racing, as well as touring cars and which combines the advantages of a straight exhaust pipe with those of silencing tubes or chambers.

It is still another object of the invention to provide means facilitating the assembly of the mufiler upon the exhaust pipe of the engine and operation of the mufiier valve from the dash board of the vehicle, a self-contained muffler unit being achieved, which has a central valve-controlled direct exhaust portion and tubular silencing portions supported by and in communication with said central portion.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a muiiler unit having a central pipe portion and diametrically opposing mufller or silencing chamber portions supported by the central pipe portion and in communication therewith whereby to provide for a somewhat flat muffler that requires less head space beneath the vehicle than that required by the large round present day types of muffler. 1

Other objects of the present invention are to provide a muffler construction of the above type which is simple, inexpensive to manufacture, easy to install upon an exhaust pipe, compact, requires little head space, lends itself to being welded from standard stock pieces, is rugged and eflicient in operation.

For other objects and for a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the muffler embodying the features of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the muflier, the control valve being in the outer end thereof.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of a modified form of the mufiler wherein the control valve is adjacent the inner end of the mufi'ier.

Referring now to the drawings, I0 represents a central mufller or pipe portion having an inlet end II and an outlet end I3. The inlet end of the central portion may be connected to an exhaust pipe I4. This inlet end is preferably split so that the connection with the exhaust pipe I4 can be effected through a split clamp I5 which is tightened by bolt means I6 to draw the split portion of the inlet end of the central pipe II] tightly about the exhaust pipe I4.

Extending laterally from the opposite sides of the central pipe portion I 0 are silencing chamber portions I! and I 3. The portion I! is connected to the side of the pipe III by two longitudinally spaced fittings I9 and 20 and the union made by welding is indicated at 2 I. The silencing chamber portion I8 is similarly connected to the opposite side of the central pipe IE! by fittings 22 and 23 longitudinally spaced from one another.

In the outer end of the central pipe portion It is a butterfly valve 24 which has an operating arm 25 and a spring 26 anchored to the pipe portion at 21 to bias the valve to a normally closed position. Connected to the arm 25 is a Bowden flexible cable arrangement 28 for operating the butterfly valve 24. This arrangement includes a Wire 29, a flexible casing 3| and a mounting bracket 32 for securing the cable assembly to the mufiier or silencing chamber portion I8. When the butterfly valve 24 is turned to a closed position, the exhaust gases will be diverted to the V silencing chamber portions I'I, I3 and will enter such portions from the central portion'through the fittings that connect the portions I1 and IS with the central portion It. The silencing chamber portions I1 and I8 are respectively provided with closed front ends, as indicated at 34 and 35 respectively, whereas the rear ends are perforated and open, as indicated at 36 and 31, respectively, so that the muiiled gases may be discharged from the rear ends 35, 31 of these portions. While some of the gases will pass through the fittings I9 and 22, the larger bulk of the gases will pass through the rear fittings 2t and 23. The chamber portions are provided with the usual wool or silencing material 38, such as brass wool, etc.

According to the form of the invention shown in Fig. 3, the valve element is located near the inlet end of the central pipe portion and between the spaced fittings of the silencing chamber portions. Accordingly, when the valve in Fig. 3 is closed, all of the gases must pass through the inner fittings I3 and 22 and may discharge through the out-er ends of the portions l1 and I8 and to some extent through the fittings 28 and 23 and the outlet end of the central pipe portion l8. Maximum silencing material lying between the fittings of the respective silencing chamber portions is thus put into play, the distances between the fittings oi the respective silencing chamber portions being greater than between the outlet end fittings atthe perforated ends of the respective silencing chamber portions.

It will be apparent that there has been pro vided a mufiler which can be made of standard stock or pipe pieces wherein the silencing chamber portions extend diametrically opposit to one another from a central portion of the-same.v

stock material and wherein the m-uiiler isgenerally of fiat construction whereby-to consume=1ittle head space under a vehicle. The butterfly valve is an integra1 part of the pipe assembly andcan be connected therewithin at. any location within the. central pipe Ill depending upon the use. to whichthemufiler is to bev put.

It is further. to be noted, that thediameters of the pipe connections or fittings 20, 23 may differ (being larger or smaller) from those of the fittings !9, 22; in some cases itmay be considered advantageous to omit these interconnecting fittings 20, 23. In. such latterevent, his proposed to direct silencing tube portions [1, 18 in such manner thatithey converge toward the" outlet end l3 of the'exhaus-t'tube III.

Although the construction as? shown, maybe achieved from stock tube material, it] is well'apparent that the valve-controlled central and unobstructed muflierportion may be formed by'partitions placed in. a hollow body which is otherwise filled with silencing. material, the communication between said central portion and the lateral silencing portion being effectuated' without fittings and ahead of the valve accommodated in said. central portion;

While various changes may be made, in the detail construction, it shall be understood that suchchanges shall be within the spirit and scope.

of thepresent invention as defined by theappended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired toQbe secured by Letters Patent, is:

1. A mufiier construction comprising a central pipe portion having an inlet and outlet end, said inletend being adapted to be secured to an ex= haust. pip of. an. internal combustion engine, silencing. chamber portions eachprovided with front. end and-rear end and disposed at; oppositesid'cs of the central pipe portion interconnecting fitt ngs longitudinally spaced from one another and establishing communication ofthe' respective silencing chamber portions with the central pipe. portion. intermediate said inlet and said outlet end-thereof; silencing material accommodated in said silencing chamber portions, said front ends of the silencing chamber portions being closed while the rear ends are open, and valve means arranged forwardly of said fittings in said central pipe portion and operable to either permit the passage of said exhaust gases through the central pipe portion or to divert the samethrough. said fittings and the rear ends of thesilenci'ng chamber portions.

2. A mufller construction comprising an open central pipe portion having an open inlet end and an open outlet end, said inlet end being adapted to be. connected to an exhaust pipe of aninternal combustion engine, multiple silencing chamberportions each provided with a front end and'witha rear end, said silencing chamber portions being: provided with longitudinally spaced fittings disposed, respectively, adjacent the inlet end and the outlet end of the open pipe portion and establishing communication between the latter andsaid silencing chamber" portions, said silencing chamber portions being closed at their front ends and being perforated at said rear ends, said silencing chamber portions'being positioned independently of' each other and inside by side relation to said open central pipe portion and being supported thereon by said fittings, and valve means in said central pipe portion and disposed adjacent" fittings which are arranged at one of said ends of said open central pip-e portion, and said valve means being operable" to eitherpermit' the free fiow' of'gases through said open pipe portion or" to divert said" gases from said inlet'end thro'ugh'saidfittingsof said silencing chamber portions toward said perforated rear ends thereof, the diameter of said central pipe portion being substantially similar to that of saidsilencing chamber portions.

3. A muftler construction according to claim 2, wherein said silencing chamber portions are filled with knownsil'encing material.

PERRY. B. FINA.

REFERENCES CITED Thefollowing references are of record in the file; of this. patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,553,264 Reasonover. Sept. 8, 1925 1,586,019 Wheeler. May 25', 1926 15,91,088 Holmes July 6, 1925 1513.322 Goetz J'an..4,.l927 1,709,426, Beeryv Apr. 16,1929 2,392,559 Varma Jan, 8, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS.

Number Country Date 512,991 Germany Apr. 18, 1930 716,823 France Dec. 28, 1931 

